


The More Things Change

by Crowsims



Series: A Crow Flies in Sunnydale [12]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Crow - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 00:25:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowsims/pseuds/Crowsims
Summary: The First has come and Carmen once again puts herself right in the middle of things for her love and family.





	The More Things Change

**Author's Note:**

> Next in the series. Going to be honest, after this I only have one other part. That's as far as I've gotten. Other stories and ideas rose up in my head and this one got shelved. I'll post the last one some time this week.

You’d think moving in with Buffy, Dawn and Faith would be the most exciting thing to happen to me this year. It would have been if we didn’t live on a Hellmouth. A lot has been going on so allow me to give you the rundown.

 

Xander and Anya broke up after he left her standing at the alter. Thanks to one of Anya’s past victims messing with his head. She returned to being a Vengeance Demon and left town because if she stayed and granted any wishes that resulted in death, Buffy and Faith would have to kill her. He’s okay now and just finished a major construction project, the grand reopening of Sunnydale High School on top of the Hellmouth.

 

Buffy has taken the new principal, Woods, up on his offer of becoming a counselor in order to make sure there are no repeats of what happened when they were in high school. You’d think that would be all the excitement but it gets better.

 

A new evil has come in to our lives; actually it’s not all that new. We are at war with the First, an incorporeal being of pure evil and darkness that is capable of assuming the form of any one who has died…including me.

 

The First has been knocking off Potential Slayers in a bid to wipe out the Slayer line; which having two Slayers alive at the same time has some how messed up the magic’s involved. Yeah I wasn’t paying much attention to Giles when he explained it to us, sorry. My mind was more focused on Buffy and how all of this is affecting her. She’s been playing the brave general to all the girls that have been coming to town for safety, but I can see right through the mask.

 

The last bit of excitement has been an uber-vampire the First dredged up. It is super strong and very hard to kill. It caused some serious damage to Buffy and Faith before I managed to step in and get them away from it. It is still currently on the loose and waiting for the sun to go down before striking again.

 

That’s about it.

 

Now if you’ll excuse me I need to bring some medical and other supplies back to the house.

 

***

 

“I’m home,” I called out opening the door then turned backwards to grab a bag of bandages and rubbing alcohol, turning back to come face to face with a sword held by Rona, one of the Potentials, “Seriously?”

 

“How do we know you’re not the First?” she asked staring at me with a strong yet fearful gaze.

 

I sighed then held up my hand and ran my palm through the sword till the point popped out of the back. Groaning slightly I pulled my hand back and held it up to show her the wound as it closed.

 

“From now on I’ll slap you upside the head so you know I’m corporeal,” I told her grinning evilly as she lowered the sword.

 

“Sorry,” the young black girl breathed.

 

“It’s cool,” I assured her placing a hand on her shoulder, “It’s wise to be cautious since the First can look like me. Just don’t go overboard.” Rona nodded, giving me a small smile before going to put up the sword.

 

“Did you get my Oreos?” Jonathan asked coming up to help me with the brown paper bags.

 

Oh yeah, I missed an event.

 

Remember those spy cameras, turns out it was Jonathan, Andrew and Warren playing super villain. They did a few major attacks that rattled my girl so I had to step in and scare them straight. I actually scared Warren and Andrew and sent them running to Mexico. Jonathan decided to stay behind and try to make amends to Buffy by helping Willow and Tara with the magic. He’s now considered part of the gang and a good friend to have.

 

“Hide them fast,” I whispered pulling out the pack of cookies and handing them to him quickly, “Where’s everyone else?”

 

“Willow and Tara went to gather some ingredients for a possible protection spell to shield the house. Giles and Xander are picking up more lumber to repair the damages while Dawn and I keep an eye on the girls.”

 

I looked around at the small group of girls camped out in the living room while the rest must be downstairs training. They look scared and worried, but are trying to be brave in the face of being hunted down by the First’s robed monks, Bringers, and the uber-vamp.

 

“Speaking of Dawn, where is she?” I asked.

 

“Upstairs tending to Faith,” Jonathan answered a bit sadly, “She tried to take care of Buffy too but…”

 

“Enough said,” I stopped him looking up the stairs, “Can you take care of the groceries while I take care of her?”

 

“No problem,” he replied, taking the grocery bags and leaving me the rest as I headed for the stairs.

 

***

 

I knocked on Faith’s door and smiled when I heard shuffling and hushed voices before Dawn opened the door.

 

“Carmen,” Dawn greeted with a flushed face.

 

“Dawn,” I replied looking over her shoulder at Faith, lying on her bed in a bra and jeans, the bruises on her face and stomach still evident after two days from the fight, “Changing her dressings without replacements?”

 

Dawn blushed and lowered her head before looking back up at me with a smirk as she answered, “Something like that.”

 

On Dawn’s eighteenth birthday party, Faith gave her a locket and admitted she thought she was the hottest sweetest girl in the world and she loved her before kissing her silly. I had to hold Buffy back as they kissed heatedly in front of everyone but it was only for show. In reality we both have known for a long time about their feelings for each other. We were all actually surprised Faith lasted till Dawn was legal, but she did and now is reaping the rewards for her patience…her first real love and relationship.

 

“Here,” I laughed handing her a plastic bag with gauze pads and other supplies, “Clean her up then continue what you were doing. Just be downstairs before the sun goes down.”

 

“Carmen,” Dawn began worriedly as she looked down the hall at our room.

 

“Jonathan told me she’s in a mood,” I informed her calmly, “I’ll take care of it.”

 

I turned my back on her and took a step forward when she asked, “And the uber-vamp…are you going to take care of him too?”

 

“Dawn, I’m not the Slayer,” I reminded her, “It’s my job to help out not do Buffy and Faith’s job for them.”

 

Buffy reminded me and everyone else of that when the Potentials looked to me for help when I brought her and Faith back after getting their asses kicked. She was trying to show them that despite being beaten they would heal and take care of the situation because she is the Slayer and I’m just a Crow. I could have argued with her, yelled at her, taken offense but instead I just helped them up to their rooms and helped bandage them up.

 

“Carmen,” Dawn repeated in a slightly pleading tone, “That may be what Buffy told you and believes but…but…you’ve interfered before and now it’s time to do it again. Please.”

 

I know the reason Dawn wants me to jump in and end the uber-vamp and despite the fact that I agree with her…I can’t.

         

“I’ll talk to her,” I breathed, giving her a warm smile over my shoulder, “Now go take care of your girlfriend while I take care of mine.”

 

Dawn smiled gratefully at me as I headed to Buffy, mentally preparing my self for the fight that was surely waiting for me since Buffy probably heard us thanks to Slayer hearing.

 

***

 

I opened the door to find Buffy propped up against the headboard by pillows, the gash above her right eye still there but smaller then it was from the last time I saw it, just like the rest of her cuts, bruises and cracked bones.

 

“Hey,” she greeted simply.

 

“Hey,” I replied closing the door and going to sit on the bed beside her, opening up the bag and pulling out some alcohol and a gauze pad, “Figured since you didn’t let Dawn play nurse or Jonathan you’d prefer I do it.”

 

No answer as I wet the pad with the alcohol and went to work cleaning the open wound. Buffy didn’t even wince.

 

“So, have you come up with any plans on how to deal with tall grey and ugly?”

 

“Sounds like everyone wants you to take care of him,” Buffy replied in a snide angry tone.

 

“Dawn does,” I corrected her, “And that’s only so Faith doesn’t get a repeat beat down.”

 

“You think she’s the only one thinking letting you step in and kill the uber-vamp would be the best course of action?” Buffy asked, her tone now freezing cold.

 

“I’m not a Slayer, I’m a Crow,” I reminded her taking a grip on her chin and bring her face to face with me, “I’m already dead and can handle the beating better, but if you don’t want me to kill him or fight him I won’t.”

 

Buffy’s eyes shot open wide, sending her eyebrows in to her hair and causing her to finally wince. “You won’t?” she breathed out in disbelief.

 

“Even though seeing that monster hurt you practically drives a knife in to my heart…I won’t touch him,” I told her honestly, “You are the Slayer, the general of this growing army and it’s your job to save the world. Not mine.”

 

“Carmen,” Buffy breathed.

 

“Think of me as weapon no different then a stake,” I continued calmly, “Use me however you see fit.”

 

“It’s kind of dirty when you say it like that,” Buffy teased with a sexy smirk, taking my hand off her chin and holding it tight in hers, “I know it’s hard for you to stand by and watch me get hurt, beat up and what not. I love it that you’re respecting my wishes in this. But you know that you are more to me then just a weapon, right?”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

 

“Sweetie it’s not that I don’t want your help, because you know I count on you as much as I do Faith. More so in fact,” Buffy explained warmly, “You have gone above and beyond for me on numerous other times and I haven’t complained. It’s helped keep me sane all these years and was actually kinda hot seeing you all protective and assertive, but this…this war we’re in…”

 

“I get it, Buffy,” I assured her, smiling at her softly about to continue.

 

“Carmen,” Jonathan shouted from downstairs in an urgent tone.

 

I was on my feet and making my way to the door when I remembered Buffy. I helped her to her feet and let her use me as a crutch as we made our way out the door and down the hall, Dawn doing the same for Faith.

 

***

 

We made it half way down the steps when we realized what was so urgent. Willow and Tara had arrived with their spell supplies and me standing between the two witches in the same outfit I’m currently wearing, smiling innocently at the faces of the gathered Potentials.

 

“Whoops,” I, or I should say the First, exclaimed, “Guess the cat’s out of the bag.”

 

“What do you want?” Buffy asked angrily as she made her way shakily down the steps on her own to stand before the First.

 

“Just thought I’d drop in and see how my girl is recuperating after her loss,” the First answered sweetly.

 

“I’m fine and so is Faith. And I am not your girl,” Buffy growled, “Get out of here. Now!”

 

“Don’t like the way I look babe?” The First asked curiously, looking over the black tank and jeans before looking back up at Buffy, “Too dark and funeral like for you. How about we try something whiter, something more heavenly?”

 

The First changed its appearance in to Erica in a long flowing white dress. Buffy took a step back, a look of pure shock on her face before turning to me. I just stared calmly at her though my hands were balled up in tight fists at my sides.

 

“Do you really think you hold a candle to me…her first real love?” The First asked in a sweet imitation of Erica’s voice, “You’re just a rebound…a way of passing the time until she’s back with me, where she belongs.”

 

Buffy took a shaky step towards me, looking like she was about to faint before I reached her and placed my hands on her arms.

 

“That’s not Erica and that is definitely not true,” I told her strongly though I could see she didn’t believe it, “Buffy, say it.”

 

“That’s…that’s not…that’s not Erica,” she stuttered out and I rewarded her with a deep kiss before pulling back and smiling warmly at her, “And that is definitely not true.” I kissed her again, moving my hands up till I was cupping her face. When the kiss ended I rested my forehead against hers and waited until her breathing was back under control.

 

“This changes what we just talked about, you know that right?”

 

“Yes,” she answered in a soft understanding tone, “Are you okay though?”

 

“Kiss me and I will be,” I told her and she did. When we pulled apart this time I motioned Willow over to help keep her standing while I went and faced off with the First.

 

“Have I angered you dear?” the First asked.

 

“No,” I answered truthfully with a grin.

         

“If I sent a friend over later to gut your girl and all these frightened rabbits, would that anger you?” The First asked returning my grin.

 

“You send your friend and I’ll send him right back to you in a Zip-Lock bag,” I stated strongly, feeling the Crow inside me stir, “You may be the First evil but I am like nothing you’ve ever seen before?”

 

The First dropped the grin and just stared at me with an emotionless mask. “You think you’re the first bird I’ve seen. I’ve dealt with your kind before.”

 

“Really,” I replied amazed, “Let’s just see.”

 

I stuck my hand through her chest and closed my eyes, focusing and letting my power kick in to show me a flock of crows circling the sky over a bare area that felt strangely familiar. The crows were crying out then flew down to the ground in a black cawing blur and…and…the image vanished. I opened my eyes to see the First had taken a step back and was glaring heatedly at me.

 

“You have dealt with Crows before…a lot of them in fact,” I agreed, “But something tells me it didn’t end well for you.”

 

The First just stared at me, its eyes burning with a rage Erica is not capable of.

 

“Things aren’t going to end well for you or them once the sun goes down,” the First shot back before vanishing, its voice echoing through out the house, “Dead by dawn little girls. You’ll all be dead by dawn.”

 

Murmurs and frantic whispers filled the room as Buffy came up and placed a hand on my shoulder from behind.

 

“The First is hiding something,” I declared out loud, “Something to do with a murder of crows and a place. It felt familiar somehow, but I didn’t recognize it.”

 

“That makes you just as much of a target now as us,” Kennedy, another Potential said.

 

“Yeah it does,” I replied turning to meet Buffy’s eyes then looking at the other Potentials before looking back at her. Buffy caught on then looked to Willow. She nodded and ran a hand down Tara’s arm. She also read our body language and aura’s and knew we needed to talk.

 

I headed in to the kitchen with Buffy right behind me followed by Willow and Tara. Faith looked to Dawnie then joined us, dragging Xander behind her while the Potentials continued bickering and worrying about the coming threat.

 

***

 

True to its word, once the sun set the First sent the uber-vamp to the house. The Bringers were also in attendance in order to keep us all in while it killed us.

 

Sadly that wasn’t part of the plan. See Buffy, Willow, Tara, Faith, Xander and I came up with a plan to not only kill the uber-vamp, but to boost the moral of the Potentials.

 

The minute the uber-vamp burst through the door, being an ancient vampire most of the newer rules didn’t apply to him, Willow put up a protective barrier around the armed Potentials. He pounded on it fiercely and Willow managed to keep it up long enough for Buffy and Faith to lead everyone out of the house. I disappeared in to the shadows during the chase but the uber-vamp didn’t seem to care.

 

Everyone managed to get to a construction site Xander’s working at, a horseshoe shaped dead-end with fences and wooden layered scaffolding. The uber-vamp slowed its advance on them, growling excitedly at its cornered prey until it suddenly sensed something and turned around to see me.

 

I stood at the exit with my hands clasped behind my back, the uber-vamp snarled at me while the others started climbing the fence for higher ground, Sis cawing at them to get a move on.

         

“Hello handsome. You must be getting a contact high from all the fear pouring off all those scared rabbits up there. Just look at them,” I began looking up at the confused faces of the gathered Potentials, “I have spent the past four days listening to their constant whining, complaining and fear fueled hysteria. They’re just waiting for you or the rest of the First’s goons to put them out of their misery. So in order to get them back on track we set this little show up for them. See you might have been a big bad in the Stone Age but now…now you’re facing off against a creature unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Slayers may be the things that give vampires and other monsters nightmares but me, I AM the stuff of nightmares. You and me, we’re going to show these girls a monster bash. Welcome to Thunderdome.”

 

“Two men enter, one man leave,” I heard Jonathan say just as the uber-vamp advanced on me.

 

It aimed a clawed hand for my face and I did nothing but let it swipe at me, making long scratch marks across my face before it punched me hard in the chest and sent me flying back and crashing in to a concrete wall.

 

The uber-vamp tossed his head back and roared, not paying attention as I got to my feet and brushed the dust off my long leather jacket. Pushing my hair back away from my face so that all in attendance, including the First in my form, could see my face heal up. I started walking towards the uber-vamp, startling it as the Crow came out.

 

“Not bad, but with moves like that the worse you could do is kill me,” I taunted.

 

It snarled and ran at me, but I stopped him by grabbing his throat. Following it up with some quick punches to his face before twirling him around and tossing him at another wall. I looked up and winked at Buffy before heading after the uber-vamp, just missing a steel bar being hurled my way.

 

“Strike one,” I told him as I used a crate to launch myself at him, delivering a flying kick to his chest that knocked him down.

 

I pulled him up to his feet but the uber-vamp knocked my hands away and delivered a few punches of his own to my head, rattling my nerves before taking hold of my hair and hurling me up on to a wooden platform above us.

 

He jumped up and began driving his foot down in to my back before I rolled out of the way. I flipped up to my feet, managing to clip his chin in the process. Moving in fast I landed a few hard blows before the uber-vamp returned the favor and took hold of my throat and lifted me off of my feet. He tossed me back in an attempt to knock me off the platform, but I gripped one of the bars and slingshot around and back, hitting him square in the chest with my boots and knocking him off his feet.

 

“Strike two,” I said as he got to his feet and bared his sharp fangs at me.

 

I blocked his punches and swipes then ducked down and upper-cut him up and through the wood floor to the next level of the rigging. Following after him, I was met with an even angrier uber-vamp and got in to a fast exchange of fists and blocks before he tackled me, knocking us both off the platform and sending us freefalling to the ground, landing hard on a crate of instant cement sacks and smashing it to wooden shards.

 

I groggily got to my knees facing Buffy and the Potentials when my vision became Sis’, showing me the uber-vamp getting up with a sharp wooden shard in his hand and aiming it at the back of my neck, probably trying to take my head off. I don’t think I can heal from that.

 

Rolling sideways, I just missed the blow and picked up a strand of barb wire as I continued rolling till I was behind him.

 

“Strike three,” I growled wrapping the barb wire around his throat in a garret, tightening it as I leaned back, “You’re out.”

 

The uber-vamp began choking and flailing his arms around as the barb wire sliced through his skin. I pulled back once more with all my strength and managed to decapitate him, turning him in to a pile of dust as I dropped the barb wire and took a step back.

 

“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” I began, bending down and scooping up a handful of uber-vamp then standing up facing the others still in full Crow state, my arm outstretched as I let the dust slip through my fingers, “Strong, vicious and terrifying, just like all the monsters you’ll face from here on out. But in the end they’ll die just like the rest. You girls have no idea of the strength inside each of you. You don’t have to be ‘called’ in order to feel it or even use it. Dark days are coming that will test you, but you can handle them. Believe in yourselves, believe in each other, believe in us and I promise you when this war is over we will be the ones left standing. Here endeth the lesson.”

 

***

 

I was upstairs in our room, tossing off my leather coat with a groan and pulling up my tank when the door opened and Buffy stepped in.

 

“Those look bad,” she stated, talking about the black and purple bruises all over my back.

 

“Sis says they’ll heal in a few hours. By morning at the most,” I told her, turning my bare back to her so she could see them slowly shrink.

 

“Better healing then Slayers. You Crows are proving yourselves cooler,” Buffy stated feigning jealousy, “Or maybe that’s just you.”

 

“Perpetual coolness is the curse I’ve had to bare since I was born,” I breathed out in mock regret. Buffy laughed and closed the door, coming up and placing a warm hand on my back and began rubbing small circles over the bruises.

 

“The girls can’t stop talking about your fight or the little speech you gave at the end. It was very good by the way.”

 

“Thank you,” I sighed softly, “You mind massaging my back for me to help speed up the heeling?”

 

“Sure,” Buffy answered warmly, placing a kiss between my shoulder blades, “Pants off and on your stomach.”

 

I did as instructed and laid on the bed in a pair of tight black boy shorts, facing the door as Buffy slipped off her own jeans and shirt. She quickly slipped on a baggy pink t-shirt she wears to bed then straddled by lower back.

 

“Giles has begun researching Crows again, with Jonathan’s help. Only this time he’s going further back then he has before,” Buffy told me as she started kneading my shoulders strongly, “Since there’s not much on the First he’s not holding out hope of finding anything on what you saw.”

 

“Little lower babe,” I moaned. Buffy’s hands moved down to the center of my back and began to gently massage the bruised skin.

 

“Are you even listening to me?” she asked in a slightly irritated tone.

 

“Every word,” I answered turning my head and resting it on my crossed arms.

 

“And,” Buffy drew out, pushing down hard on my back.

 

“And I got nothin’. I know it happened a long time ago and someplace I’ve been to, but other then that I have no clue what it was I saw. Sis is being strangely cryptic about the whole ‘murder of crows’ part. All I know is Kennedy’s right, this does make me as big a target as the Potentials.”

 

Buffy’s hands stopped and she went deathly silent for a while. I turned over and sat up, brushing my hand through her hair and smiling softly at her.

 

“What?”

 

“I didn’t want you involved in this fight,” Buffy breathed lowly.

 

“You’re involved thus I’m involved,” I reminded her strongly, “I was serious when I told you that you’re in charge and I’m just a weapon you can use.”

 

“And I was serious when I told you I don’t think of you like that. I will never think of you like that.”

 

“Then what’s the problem?”

 

Buffy closed her eyes and leaned in to my hand, taking in a deep breath before she opened her eyes and smiled at me with watery eyes.

 

“This one is going to be bad, Carmen,” Buffy began in a worried tone, “Worse then anything we ever faced before. The First is intent on wiping out the Slayer line and ending the world. The Watcher’s are all but dead, we’ve got young girls coming in from all over the world thinking this is a safe place but it’s not. We are on top of the enemy and they are intent on swallowing us whole. I know you want to be there to help me…to save me if need be and protect our family, but I’m scared.”

 

“Buffy,” I breathed, but she placed a finger over my lips to silence me.

 

“I’m scared this will be it,” Buffy continued in a choked up teary voice, “That you fighting against the First and helping us win will be the action that finally sets the scales back in your favor. That when this is all over, you’ll leave me and go where you’re supposed to be…with Erica.”

 

I closed my eyes and sighed long and loud before chuckling. “You are so blonde.”

 

“Excuse me?” Buffy asked angrily as she pushed me down on to the bed, taking hold of my wrists and pinning them on either side of my head as she glared down at me.

 

“I don’t know how many times, how many different ways I have to say it before you catch on to the fact that I’m not going anywhere,” I explained calmly, “No power in heaven or on earth or under it can take me away from you. I’ll fight with you and kick the First’s incorporeal ass and still be here in the morning.”

 

“Carmen, you say that but,” Buffy began but I flipped us and reversed our positions.

 

“But nothing. Buffy, this is the last time we’re gonna talk about this. I’m dead and therefore won’t age but you will. You know this and don’t care just like I don’t. All we’ve ever done is enjoy the time we have together and that is what I plan to continue doing when this war is over.  End of discussion, are we clear?”

 

“Crystal,” Buffy cried.

 

I smiled warmly and leaned in, licking away the tears on her cheeks before placing a kiss to each eye. Buffy smiled back softly when I pulled back and brought her back with me till I was leaning against the head board with Buffy resting snuggly in my arms, her head on my chest and arms wrapped around my waist.

 

A snap of the fingers and the lights were out, thanks to an enchantment Tara put on the room for me when Willow added the mystical soundproofing to the room. Things were bound to only get more exciting now that I’ve officially joined the First’s hit list and I should really be more concerned then I currently am.

 

I really should. Just like I should be helping Giles and Jonathan in their research. Sadly Buffy is currently playing with one of my breasts and by the way her hands are moving I think she has other things on her mind right now.

 

Who am I to disappoint my general?

 

 

 

    

 

         

 

 

 

 


End file.
